


Stardust

by dragonshost



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Mard may have been evil but no one deserves to go out like that man, Original Characters - Freeform, headcanons galore, i will probably add more character tags as they become relevant, this replaces the Eclipse Keys arc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2018-11-09 09:42:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11101923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonshost/pseuds/dragonshost
Summary: When Lucy comes across a rare key, a Celestial Spirit asks her for a favor - to which she agrees. Her task is to find the Ghost Keys, and with them put to rest an ancient wrong. But the keys have long been lost to time, and a strange traveler is taking a very keen interest in her journey...





	1. New Keys

**Author's Note:**

> This fic focuses less on the romance and more on the relationships between Celestial Spirits and their key holders.

_**It's A New World** _   
_**It's A New Start** _   
_**It's Alive With The Beating Of Young Hearts** _   
_**It's A New Day** _   
_**It's A New Plan** _

_**-Bryan Adams "Here I Am"** _

* * *

Lucy raised her arm high, Fleuve D'Etoiles clenched firmly in the same hand. "And here's what you get for thinking Celestial Wizards and their Spirits are weak!" she shouted, snapping her arm down as hard as she could. Fleuve D'Etoiles' length lashed out, brilliant blue with golden sparks dancing. The bandit it was aimed at squeaked in alarm, scrambling backwards only to fall over the upraised tree roots that surrounded them. The whip sailed harmlessly over his head as he grinned and then rolled to his feet.

"That all you got, girly?!" he mocked, snapping his fingers. "Pitiful - is this really all your kind are capable of? Even your little spirit lackeys got so fed up with you they abandoned you!" Iridescent bubbles formed all around him. Lucy knew from experience that despite their rainbow sheen and innocent appearance, those things were made of a rather nasty variety of acid that burned away all it touched. Her clothes had already faced the brunt of his previous assault, and were now hanging in tatters off her form. Acid burns dotted her skin, and made every movement painful.

But there was no way she was going to let this moron get the best of her. She had the reputation of Fairy Tail to protect! And no one got away insulting her bond with her Spirits. _No one._

To the bandit's great surprise, Lucy grinned back at him. "Maybe instead of insulting me, you should have been paying more attention to my whip!" Far too late for him to react, Lucy yanked her arm backwards. Her whip's coils tightened around the bandit's feet, where Fleuve D'Etoiles had been resting after Lucy's initial attack, pulling the ruffian off his feet. "And who said my spirits were gone?! Sagittarius, hit him where it hurts!"

"As you wish, my lady!" the archer replied from his perch high in a nearby tree. "Goodbye and farewell, fiend!"

The bandit screamed in terror as a barrage of arrows fell like rain all around him, pinning him thoroughly to the ground and bursting his acidic bubbles with soft hisses.

Lucy gave her Spirit a thumbs up. "That was great, Sagittarius! Thank you!"

He bowed low, leaving Lucy to wonder how the horse head part of his costume didn't send him careening forward off the tree branch with its bulk and weight. "A pleasure to serve, as always!"

She giggled at him. "You can go back if you want, now. Thanks again for the help."

As he straightened from his bow, Sagittarius gave Lucy a fond smile. "Then until we say hello again!" Disappearing in a shimmer of golden sparkles, he departed back for his world. His golden gate - clearly visible to Lucy's inner eye - shut firmly behind him.

Her attention returned to the catatonic bandit, and Lucy set about trussing him up with her whip. Tying him to a gargantuan tree root, Lucy then stepped back to admire her handiwork. There was no way he was getting out of that anytime soon, even with his little acid trick.

A heavy sigh whooshed out of her as she took in her own condition. "Wonderful," Lucy grumbled to herself, picking idly at the scraps of cloth barely covering her important places. "And here I really liked that outfit, too!"

"I brought you a change of clothes, Princess," a monotonous voice piped up behind her.

"EEK!" she shrieked in surprise. Clutching her chest, Lucy breathed hard, her heart trying its utmost to escape the confines of her ribcage. "I have got to learn to get used to that." Virgo was smiling knowingly at her when she turned around. Never let it be said that Gemini was the most mischievous of Lucy's Spirits. That title belonged solely to the maid-outfit-wearing pink-haired maiden constellation. "Thank you so much, Virgo. I really appreciate you bringing me these," Lucy told her.

The space around Virgo's eyes softened as she relinquished her items. "These should help foster the healing for your burns. I included a matching set for your friend, as well."

Lucy couldn't help but smile at that. "Thanks, again! I'm sure Yukino will be very grateful you thought of her."

Virgo bowed. "If that's all, Princess, big brother is going on a rampage in the Celestial World right now. He's upset that you didn't summon him for this fight. I will inform him that you are in good health."

"That silly lion..." Lucy muttered under her breath. "Of course I didn't summon him! There's no way I'm letting a close-combat specialist anywhere _near_ those acid bubbles." She met Virgo's gaze once more. "Tell Taurus I'm sorry, please? I should have realized sooner what they were."

"He is already recovered and is currently taunting big brother about being summoned instead of him," Virgo curtly replied. "But I shall let him know about your concern so he may wheedle big brother about that as well."

The Celestial Mage resisted the urge to facepalm at the antics of her Spirit friends only through great force of will. Also, her hands were full of clothes. "Thank you again, Virgo."

With a nod, the Spirit left in a shower of sparkles and wavering light.

Swiftly, Lucy changed her outfit using a giant tree for cover. Virgo's gift was even cuter than the destroyed outfit! After that cheerful observation, Lucy paused to glance around the dense, ancient forest. She wondered how Yukino was faring with her own opponent; at some point during their battles they had separated as Yukino took on the close range opponent and Lucy the mid-ranged one.

It had been quite the surprise to find herself on a job with her fellow Celestial Wizard, truth be told. Yukino had just shown up at the guild, job request in hand, and a glimmer of delight in her eyes as she asked Lucy to go on the job with her. With a letter of Guild Master Sting's full support in her possession as well. Master Makarov had heartily approved of the idea of inter-guild cooperation, and Lucy had been ecstatic to spend some quality time with her Sabertooth friend. Team Natsu, on the other hand, had proven quite troublesome when they insisted on coming along. It had taken both Mirajane and Makarov to hold the very dejected group of mages behind.

Lucy hadn't liked ditching her teammates for a job, but it had certainly paid off well! Now she had enough money for this month's rent, she got to do something with Yukino (even if the job had turned out to be a fighting-oriented one in the end), and _nothing important had been demolished or otherwise destroyed._

All in all, she counted this as a success. Even her minor burns hurt less, thanks to the clothes from the Celestial World.

"Lucy-sama!" a high-pitched, familiar voice called in the distance. "Where are you, Lucy-sama?"

"I'm here, Yukino!" she shouted back, her own voice echoing amongst the trees.

A dull thud reached Lucy's ears. Confused, she anxiously peered around the forest. What was that noise...? It was steadily increasing in volume and pace. The leaves of the tree shook around her. Bracing herself, she crouched into a fighting position, just in case.

She was definitely not expecting a giant, bright pink, robotic teddy bear to come leaping out of the surrounding foliage. Yukino sat in one of the bear's paws, and an unconscious man was being hauled unceremoniously under it's other arm.

"I'm glad to see you're alright, Lucy-sama!" Yukino declared happily. She patted the robotic bear's arm. "Thank you for carrying me, Polaris! Can you please set me down over there?" The Celestial Spirit (apparently) gently placed its keyholder upon the ground. "Thanks again!"

It nodded, and then turned to look at Lucy.

Lucy smiled at the Spirit. "It's nice to meet you, Polaris!" she greeted. "I'm Lucy, of Fairy Tail!"

Seeming to contemplate this for a moment, it then bowed slightly.

"He's a fan," Yukino said to her. "I may have told him quite a lot about you after the Grand Magic Games..." A red tinge danced across the silver-haired woman's cheeks. "He's an Ursa Minor."

"That's fine," Lucy replied. "I'm happy you guys seem okay! So how was your fight?"

Yukino shrugged. "He didn't put up much of a challenge, to be honest. I spent most of the time wandering around looking for you."

It was Lucy's turn to flush in embarrassment. "Oh. Sorry I ended up so far away from you."

Alarm flashed through Yukino's countenance. "Oh, no, Lucy-sama! I-If anything, it was my fault..."

Lucy waved her arms in a frantic denial. "No, no, no! I should pay more attention to where I am when I fight!" She let out a nervous giggle. "This isn't the first time - once I ended up falling off a cliff because of that habit..."

A mildly awkward silence befell them.

Breaking it, Yukino suggested, "Why don't I... um... take your mage and we head back to the requester?"

Lucy nodded frantically, eager for a subject change. "Yeah, that's a great idea!"

Yukino let out a sigh of relief. Casting her gaze about, she swiftly discovered Lucy's trussed up opponent. She stared at him for a long moment. "Um... Lucy-sama?"

Nervous sweat ran down the blonde's neck. "Yeah? What is it?"

The Sabertooth mage opened her mouth to say something, only to hastily shut it. Opening her mouth again, she stuttered out, "H-he's still alive... right, Lucy-sama? He's still alive... right?"

"W-why do you ask?"

"Oh, erm..." Yukino flushed again. "It's just that he's... well, you know. Foaming at the mouth."

Lucy glanced at the man. "Yup. He... he certainly is." There was a moment's pause, before Lucy clarified, "Alive, I mean. And foaming too. He's definitely... doing that as well."

* * *

"Excellent! Splendid! Well done! Oh, this is simply delightful!"

Lucy and Yukino flushed a little under the profuse praise being heaped upon them. As requested, they had delivered the two dark mages to the local Rune Knight faction. But not before the pair had been thoroughly searched for the documents they'd stolen from the job requester, a man by the name of Ortez Vrillic: an older, portly fellow that was not very tall; he was, overall, shaped rather like a balloon. He seemed like a friendly sort, though. Deep laugh lines were etched into his face, and not once had he harassed the two women. Instead, their limited interactions with him had been full of good cheer, despite the circumstances of the theft that had led to him posting the job in the first place.

"Thank you so much for getting these back! My company has a rather important to-do coming up, and it would be a rather unfortunate affair should these have hit the market before our official announcement," he confided. "But where are my manners? I'm sure you would like to be paid for your hard work! Excuse me, George - could you please bring out the reward I had prepared? And also bring the other thing, if you would be so kind."

George, his butler, bowed. "As you wish, sir." He left the sitting room with nary a sound.

Ortez turned back to the two mages and beamed at them in delight. "I must say that I never expected mages from Sabertooth and Fairy Tail to both show up for my little job request. Let alone a pair of Celestial Mages! Your kind are getting rather rare, if I'm not mistaken."

Lucy blinked in surprise. It wasn't exactly common knowledge that Celestial Mages were all but gone. She and Yukino were both aware of that fact, of course, but this was the first time she'd heard someone outside her circle of friends voice the observation. "Yukino and I became friends during the Grand Magic Games," Lucy told him. "So we took a job together. I'm surprised you know that about Celestial Mages, though. It's not really something we advertise."

He smiled kindly at them. "Honestly, it's wonderful to hear that you're friends. Too many Celestial Mages have killed each other for power, prestige, and keys over the years." Ortez let out a heavy sigh. "To be honest, I have a bit of a personal interest in the affairs of Celestial Mages, and I've done a good deal of research on the subject myself. My grandfather was a Celestial Mage, himself... though not a very strong one. My father and I did not inherit any of his magical ability, either, I'm afraid."

"That's really interesting," Yukino stated, delighted by this news. "Did you know your grandfather well?"

"I did; I can recall many boyhood summers spent at his home." Wistfulness crossed Ortez's face. "Those were some of the best times of my life. I loved listening to all of his stories - he was once a guild mage himself. I believe he belonged to... oh what was it named again?" He contemplated it for a long minute. "I'm sorry; it seems that I can't quite recall. It was a very long time ago."

"What was his name?" Lucy asked eagerly. "I have a Spirit who we can ask." She drew out her keys, and pulled out Crux. "Crux, the Southern Cross. He's knowledgeable about all sorts of Spirits and to a limited degree, he can tell some things about who summoned them in the past."

Ortez stared at her oddly for a moment, without answering.

"Mr. Vrillic?" Lucy inquired, concerned for him. "Is something the matter?"

"...No," he finally replied. "No, I just..." He paused, and then began again, "Actually, if you would be so kind, I might have another job for you. It won't take very long, I assure you. And you would be compensated."

It was then that George returned, a briefcase in one hand and a small pouch in the other.

"Impeccable timing as always, George!" Ortez declared, his cheer suddenly returned. "I do not know how you do it. I need one more thing, however." When George nodded, he continued, "That little wooden box that I keep in my nightstand, could you bring it here?"

George seemed taken aback by the request. "Certainly, sir," he smoothly agreed a second later, schooling his features. He set the briefcase on the small table between Ortez and the two women, along with the pouch. "I shall return shortly."

"Good man, good man!" Ortez smiled as his manservant departed once more. "Really, no one better than George at taking care of me. Now, the briefcase contains your agreed upon payment for the job, and the pouch there is a little something extra I decided to throw in when you both first showed up." He gestured at them enthusiastically. "Please, please take a look."

Curious, Lucy and Yukino both regarded the pouch. It appeared old, and was crafted from very fine leather worn from use. Yukino reached out to the object first. "It is very soft," she commented, running a finger along the leather. Then she gently pulled on the drawstrings to open it. A soft gasp fell from her lips as she drew out the contents and laid them upon the table.

"Keys," Lucy breathed in astonishment. There were two - both were silver, and gleamed where they lay on the tabletop. One had an elegant fish carved into the handle, and the other a running horse.

"Dorado and Equuleus," Ortez explained fondly. "These two were my grandfather's companions."

"We can't... we can't possibly..."

The older man held up a hand to forestall any further protests on their part. "It is time for them to go to mages who will love and care for them. I have resisted parting with them for far too long as it is. I'm sure they would love to be summoned once more." His smile deepened. "I have many fond memories of these two. Please take care of them for me."

Lucy nodded, swallowing thickly and unable to respond properly.

Likewise inhibited, Yukino also nodded her thanks.

"Now, I'm certain you would like to know a little about them. Equuleus is a horse... or a pony, they were all equally large to me back then and I honestly don't know the difference otherwise," Ortez told them. "Dorado is a goldfish, but he lets off a beautiful glow in the dark. I can remember nights when my grandfather and I would sneak off to the kitchen for a late snack, Dorado swimming around us and lighting our way. Equuleus would often give us lifts to town if we needed something, and he was very affectionate... OH, MY!" he exclaimed, his speech interrupted suddenly by the two Celestial Mages hugging him. Ortez patted them awkwardly on the back. "Oh, my," he muttered again. "Oh, my."

"...I do hope that I'm not interrupting," George's droll voice came over them. "But I have brought the box you requested, sir."

Releasing Ortez, Lucy and Yukino resumed their seats. Grins were plastered across their faces.

"Excellent! Thank you, George!" Ortez said, taking the box from him. "Go ahead and have a seat."

"Thank you, sir." George sank down into a waiting armchair with apparent relief.

Ortez placed the box upon the table. It was made from a dark, red wood, polished and sleek. "This pertains to that other job I mentioned a few minutes ago," he explained. "If you could take a look at what's inside and identify it for me, you may keep it. Sound fair?"

"Sure," Lucy agreed, slightly bewildered by how well this job had turned out. She gestured to the box. "May I?"

"Go right ahead," Ortez urged.

Lucy gently grasped the box, pushing back the lid. Inside lay a pillow of fine, white satin that shone in the light. Nestled upon it, was a long object. It was mostly clear, with only the faintest tinge of lavender around the contours to reveal its shape to Lucy.

"It's a... key as well?" she questioned. Picking it up, she cradled it in her hand. It was definitely a key, but it was unlike any she'd ever seen before. "I take it you suspect this to be a Celestial Spirit key?"

"I _know_ it to be one." His answer was calm, and confident. "This key has been passed down through the Celestial Mages of my family, but none have had the strength to summon it in a very long time indeed. They always hoped that the next generation would possess the ability the prior lacked, but alas... here we are. I do not know what Spirit it belongs to."

With a growing smile, Lucy brandished her faithful silver key. "Let's find out, then! Open, Gate of the Southern Cross! Crux!"

An old Spirit appeared with a great harumph. He floated in the air, legs crossed and his silver, cross-shaped head bowed. Ortez stared up at the elderly Spirit, wonder in his gaze.

"Hello, grandpa Crux!" Lucy greeted. "It's good to see you!"

"Yes, it is good to see you as well, Lucy. How may I help you?"

"We were wondering if you could identify this key for us?"

Crux glanced at the object in Lucy's hand. His eyes shot open to their full extent and he let out a screech.

Yukino and Ortez both yelped at the unexpected noise from the Spirit.

"That was a fast search," commented Lucy, unfazed by her Spirit's eccentricities.

"I do not need to do a search on that key, Miss Lucy," Crux informed her.

She blinked in surprise. "You know it on sight!"

The Spirit nodded, settling back and regarding her. "This is a rare key, one of only five of its kind. It belongs to the constellation of Corvus, the Crow... and it is a Ghost key."

* * *

_**I've Been Waiting For You  
Here I Am** _

_**-Bryan Adams "Here I Am"** _


	2. Contracts

_**We Washed Away The Pains Of Yesterday** _   
_**And You Ran So Very Far Away From Me** _   
_**My Eyes They Watched You Go And All I Know** _   
_**Is That I Never Wanna Feel The Same Again** _

_**-Mako "Way Back Home"** _

* * *

The group peered at the key and the Spirit hovering beside them.

"Ghost key?" Lucy questioned, perplexed by the term. "I'm sorry Crux, but I've never heard of such a key before."

Yukino nodded in agreement. "I'm afraid that the only keys I was aware of were the gold Zodiac keys, the silver keys, and Ophiuchus."

Crux stroked his beard contemplatively. "That's to be expected. These are keys that have not been summoned in a very long time."

"Is it because of the power required?" Ortez input, reminding the group that he was still present. "After all, that's why my family hasn't been able to summon it."

"You are correct. The power required to summon a Ghost key is roughly the equivalent to a silver key and a gold key together. In addition to the high level of power required, the keys are all support Spirits. Only one of them has direct combat abilities. So with those two conditions, their use fell by the wayside, I'm afraid."

Lucy's face fell. "That had to have been horrible for the Spirits," she stated quietly.

Yukino touched her friend's shoulder in empathy. "I know my Spirits love coming to this world."

Ortez flinched. "I suppose that makes my inability to part with my grandfather's keys all the worse, then. I am truly sorry. Dorado and Equuleus deserve to have been given over to new mages long before now. I have done a terrible thing..."

Crux let out a harrumph. "I would not worry over much about that, good sir. Although a long time indeed has passed in the human world, far less of it has in our world for it runs on a different clock."

Nodding, Lucy consoled him, "That's right! My friends and I once spent a day in the Celestial World... but when we came back, we found that we'd been gone for three months in Earthland's time! We were so surprised." She giggled. "We'd intended to use the three months for training for the Grand Magic Games, actually. But our time was already all up by the time we got back!"

"You... you went to the Celestial World?" gasped Ortez, and even Yukino sucked in a breath at the news. "Tell me... what is it like?"

Nervously, Lucy looked down at the Ghost key in her hands, her fingertips absently running over the ridges and grooves, memorizing it's shape by touch rather than by sight. "It's... it's the most beautiful place I've ever seen." Her gaze rose to meet the others'. "I'll tell you about it in more detail later. For now, though..." She turned to Crux. "Crux, do you know if Corvus is willing to make a contract after all this time?"

The Spirit harrumphed once more, in genuine irritation this time. "I would imagine so - he's been driving us all up a wall for the past 75 years or thereabouts in Earthland time. Getting some exercise will be good for the youngster."

Lucy laughed. "He's young?"

"I myself have been around some six centuries, and I am one of the older Spirits," Crux explained. "Corvus' key has only existed for three of those. Even so, he himself has only just seen the passing of his first century. As the current holder of the position, he's only been summoned once before."

This was news to Lucy, that a Spirit might be younger than the key they were tied to. But then... she remembered Loke, and his circumstances. Is that what would have happened, if he had died all those years ago in front of Karen's grave? If she hadn't convinced the Spirit King to pardon him... would the key have been assigned to a new Spirit? It was a sobering thought, and made her all the more glad for having saved her dear friend. She couldn't imagine the Leo key belonging to anyone but Loke. It was his - it was a part of who he was, and he a part of it.

Maybe she should ask Loke about it sometime, if he was open to the idea. Or perhaps she could go to Corvus for answers.

Ortez opened his mouth to speak, and then shut it.

"Did you want to say something, Mr. Vrillic?" Lucy questioned, seeing his hesitation.

"No, my dear... it is nothing." He waved off the girls' curious looks. "Just the whim of an old man. Feel free to ignore me."

From his position in the corner of the room, forgotten entirely until that moment, George cleared his throat. "My master wishes to watch the contract made, I'll wager."

"George!" Ortez squeaked in alarm. "I can't ask them that! The moment a contract is formed between a Spirit and their key holder is a very sacred bonding moment!"

"You will never know if they are amenable to it," George informed him drolly, "if you never ask them, sir."

Lucy and Yukino exchanged a glance. "If the key has been in your family for so long, I wouldn't have a problem with you observing," Lucy said slowly. "Yukino, what about you?"

The silver-haired young woman shook her head. "I wouldn't mind at all, Lucy-sama. Especially for Equuleus and Dorado - they know you personally." She paused, and then added, "Although now that you mention it, there are an odd number of keys here."

"Oh, you're right!" Lucy exclaimed. "Hmm... who should we divide them?"

His face steadily reddening in embarrassment, Ortez admitted, "I'm afraid I did not think of that issue. Please, forgive an old man's oversight."

Lucy let out a giggle. "Don't worry about it! And you're not _that_ old, Mr. Vrillic!"

"I, however, am," Crux reminded them. "Lucy, if that is all, I would like to return."

It was Lucy's turn to flush in mortification. "Sure, thank you for your help, grandpa! I'm sorry for keeping you out this long."

The old Spirit's expression was kind, and his gaze fond. "It is alright, Lucy. Now... the finding of a Ghost key is going to be big news in the Celestial World. I'll have to report it to the King." After a moment, he continued, "Lucy... I must inform you that there is more surrounding these keys than I have told you thus far. However..."

"Privacy laws?" Lucy supplied when Crux faltered.

"Something like that," he agreed, relieved by her understanding. "Corvus should be able to explain in more detail than I am allowed."

"Thank you, grandpa. Let the King know I said Hello, okay?"

"I shall, Lucy." The Spirit vanished in a wash of gentle, silver light.

After the sparkles had faded completely, the girls' glanced over the three new keys in their possession.

It was silent for a few tense moments, before George stated calmly, "I shall prepare tea. And perhaps some snacks as well."

Ortez beamed at his manservant. "Excellent plan, George!" The portly gentlemen turned towards the mages. "I'm sorry to have to put the pair of you in this position."

Yukino shook her head at him. "No, it's alright! Lucy-sama and I will figure something out."

"This will give Crux enough time to speak with the Spirit King as well," Lucy input. "Not to mention let Corvus know he's going to be... um... dragged into a different world here shortly."

"Speaking of..." Ortez leaned forward, steepling his fingers. "I noticed before that you asked your Spirit to give your regards to the Celestial Spirit King himself? Pardon me if I'm presuming, but how does a Celestial Mage come to know the King of all Spirits on a personal basis?"

"I am curious as well, Lucy-sama," Yukino added.

Lucy shrugged. "Sure, no problem. I don't mind telling you guys." Her stomach let out a gurgle of displeasure. "It'll be a good distraction until George brings the snacks!"

"Don't underestimate him!" Ortez laughed. "There's none better than my George. Oh wait... I think I've already said that!" He let out another guffaw. "He won't admit to it, but I'm sure he's just as keen to hear all about this as I am! After all... George's family is descended from Celestial Mages as well. In fact, that's how we came to be acquainted!"

"Really?!" Lucy and Yukino chorused.

Ortez nodded enthusiastically. "Indeed. A story for him to tell though, I should think."

Now that Lucy thought about it, while the other two had been surprised by Crux's screech from before... George hadn't uttered a sound, or made a single move. He'd been as nonplussed by the Spirit as Lucy herself had been. Had the older man seen a Northern Cross Spirit before...?

"In the meantime... I believe we were discussing how you came to know the Spirit King himself, Miss Heartfilia?"

"Lucy, please," she corrected automatically.

"Then please do call me Ortez, both of you." The corners of Ortez's eyes crinkled in genuine pleasure.

"Sure thing," Lucy agreed, Yukino nodding along with her. "Now... as for how I know the Spirit King... well, to be honest there's not much I can say about it either, since it involves one of my Spirits, and he might not be too happy about me divulging his private business..." Actually, she wasn't too sure about that, given how happily Loke loved to proclaim how Lucy was his savior, but it was better safe than sorry. "Basically what happened was I wanted to save him from a fate he didn't deserve. I ended up summoning all of my Spirits at once, actually."

Yukino's jaw dropped, and Ortez made a strangled noise in the back of his throat.

Lucy let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, I know. I've never been able to do it since then... I think it was a one time thing. They wanted to help their friend as much as I did. I also had fewer keys back then, so there's that as well. Anyway, the Spirit King took note of what I was trying to do, and he appeared in front of us."

"He appeared... on Earthland?" Yukino questioned. "I've never heard of the King doing such a thing before."

"Me either," Ortez added. "Then again, I had never come across a mention of Ghost keys despite my extensive research. So maybe there is a great deal we still don't know about the Spirits, or perhaps a great deal of oral tradition has been lost to time?"

"Much like the Ghost keys themselves," mused Lucy. "At any rate... I'm not entirely certain that the King came to Earthland at all. Or at least... not completely. The water from the falls next to us stopped, and the sky... it had so many more stars than usual. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there was something in the air as well - way different from anything I've see on Earthland. When we went in, it was just after the evening begun... but when we came out it was already dawn, and I'm certain we didn't talk for that long. I'm wondering if he pulled us into a pocket of space between the two worlds? It's the only explanation I can think of."

"That would be a feat," agreed Ortez, "but I agree that it seems the most likely explanation."

At that moment, George returned with a platter of small sandwiches. He set it down upon the low table. "I shall return shortly with the tea," he stated, promptly turning on his heels and striding out of the room once more.

All three individuals looked at the tea sandwiches in delight. There appeared to be cucumber ones, and cheese and tomato, as well as... salmon, Lucy guessed.

She cleared her throat, hoping to finish the story before George returned so they could all partake of the delicious looking food. "Well... as for the rest of the story... I'm afraid all I did was yell at Spirit King. I called him a moron... and Nose-Hair" Lucy rubbed the back of her head, unconsciously mimicking her partner. "And then he agreed to change one of the Celestial World's outdated laws."

Yukino looked like she was about to have a heart attack at that. "He... he changed... Celestial Spirit law?!"

Lucy nodded. "Yeah. He was really cool about it too. I think he even likes my nickname for him."

"...My word," breathed Ortez. "But that is truly amazing, Miss Lucy. I am astounded." There was a twinkle in his eye. "And feeling the urge to do more research into whether such a thing has happened before." He sighed happily. "Oh it's wonderful to have a hobby to pursue again." Then he clapped his hands together. "Now then... what are you two planning to do about the keys?"

"Um..." Yukino interjected softly. "I was thinking... what if I took Equuleus, and Lucy-sama took Dorado and Corvus? Since it was your Spirit that identified Corvus in the first place."

Shifting uncomfortably, Lucy shook her head. "I wouldn't feel comfortable taking both a silver key and such a rare one, Yukino." She bit her lip, contemplating it for a moment. "If it's alright, how about I just take Corvus… and you can have both of the silver keys? This way, Equuleus and Dorado aren't separated. They've been together this long... I'd feel bad breaking them apart."

Yukino glanced at Ortez for approval, and he smiled at her. "I think that's a wonderful idea. I think they'd like remaining together as well."

"Then that's what we'll do, Lucy-sama. Ortez-sama?" Yukino addressed their client.

"Yes?"

"If it would be alright, I'd like to make my contracts with Dorado and Equuleus as soon as possible. Maybe after we're finished with tea?"

He nodded, his eyes glistening with moisture. "Nothing would make me happier." Then he coughed, and gestured at his returning manservant. "Ah, there's George with it now."

* * *

The group of four stood outside in the mansion's lawn, an expanse of green large enough to hold Ophiuchus comfortably if necessary. Although, the group doubted that all of that space would be necessary. Still, according to Ortez's memories, Equuleus would be best summoned outside nonetheless. Ponies and parlors did not really mix. (Also, George had given the others a rather pointed and severe stare when they had attempted it indoors.)

Yukino raised the first key, Dorado. "I am the person who connects the road to the world of the Celestial Spirits. Thou shalt answer my call and pass through the gate. Open, Gate of the Shining Fish! Dorado!"

Orange-gold light softly pulsed from the key, swelling outward in arcs. Gently, it washed over the group, enveloping them in kind waves. Then they condensed, swirling together at a single point and collapsing inward. Fins unfolded from the singularity, large and flowing, made of effervesce.

Once the creature had completely formed, it opened a sky blue eye and peered at them curiously. Hovering, it was about as long as Lucy's outstretched arm. Its mouth opened and closed without sound.

Lucy was mildly relieved that Dorado turned out to be a fish, after all - especially given some of the stranger natures of the Spirits. That being said... she was still surprised at the Spirit's appearance. Golden scales radiated light and comfort, embossed in orange filigree. Its fins lazily waved in the air, the being floating without effort. Barbels hung from the base of its snout, which protruded like a needle.

It wasn't a goldfish at all, Lucy realized - but rather, a gold fish.

She honestly didn't know what she had expected.

Yukino for her part seemed unaffected by any possible misconceptions regarding the Spirit's appearance. Instead, she stepped forward, a small notebook in hand. (Where had she pulled that from, Lucy couldn't help but wonder. The outfit Virgo had brought for her did not appear to possess pockets.) "Hello!" Yukino greeted the Spirit. "My name is Yukino. What is yours?"

The fish fluttered its fins, causing its body to sway slightly in the air.

"Dorado doesn't have a voice," Ortez said, a hint of melancholy in his own. He stepped forward, and then hesitated. "Hello, old friend," he greeted the Spirit. "It's been... a long time. Do you remember me at all?"

Slowly, the Spirit turned towards Ortez. Then it drifted over to him, swimming a slow circle around the human. Waves of light flowed behind it's tail, clearly visible even in the daylight. After it had completed its lap, it nudged its way under Ortez's arm and stayed there.

Though the Spirit had no voice, no words, its message was clear.

_'I remember you.'_

The two Celestial Mages exchanged smiles at the sight, and even George's stony expression softened just a little.

Ortez reached into a pocket on the front on his vest, pulling out a monogrammed handkerchief. He dabbed his eyes with it. "Don't stop on my count!" he urged. "I'm just being a sentimental old fool. Please... this is your bonding moment."

"Dorado," Yukino addressed the Spirit. "I would like to refer to you by the same name your previous Key Holder did. Would that be acceptable to you?"

Bobbing up and down, the Spirit gave its consent.

She looked to Ortez. "We're agreed then. What name did your grandfather use?"

"Xiphias," Ortez choked out. "Though I couldn't pronounce it as a kid, and I called him Zippy." This was accompanied by a fond look directed towards the Spirit.

"I see." Yukino nodded. "Xiphias. Are you available to work on Mondays?"

While Yukino worked out the details of her contract, Lucy glanced at the key in her own hands. It wouldn't be too long before she would form her own contract with a new Spirit. One who's abilities were completely unknown to her. What would Corvus be like? A bird-man? An actual bird? A humanoid in a costume? And his personality - Crux made him sound a bit like a troublemaker. She restrained a giggle, imagining Natsu in a bird suit.

Once the contract was sealed, Yukino stepped back. Then she pulled out the other silver key, leaving Xiphias out. Brandishing it, she recited once more the chant to call forth a Spirit for the first time. "Open, Gate of the Little Horse! Equuleus!"

Light once again appeared at the key's tip, but this time it was the normal showering of gold sparks that heralded the arrival of a Spirit. Stepping out of the glow, Equueleus joined them on the mansion lawn.

He was, indeed, a small horse. Or perhaps a large pony. His fur was a uniform gold, but for black socks on all four legs, and his mane and tail were the same obsidian.

Nickering, he flicked an ear back towards Ortez and Xiphias, acknowledging the pair but giving his full attention to his new key holder.

Yukino rapidly worked out her contract with the Spirit, largely through hoof stomps and the occasional whinny. Once they were through, he pranced off to join his fellow Spirit, and the grandchild of their previous summoner. Mimicking Xiphias, he wormed his neck underneath Ortez's free arm. Now the man had two Spirits leaning into his side in old, familiar companionship.

Ortez opened and closed his mouth several times, tears flowing uninhibited across his face now. After a few moments, he managed to choke out, "His name is Kitalpha. But I always called him Kitty. Kitty the horse." He let out a laugh, happiness and sorrow alike saturating his voice. "When Grandfather... passed... it was so sudden. I wasn't able to bid him farewell," Ortez confessed. "And since neither my father nor I could summon Celestial Spirits... I was unable to say goodbye to these two as well." He coughed, closing his eyes. "Thank you, Miss Yukino. Thank you. For giving me the chance to see them one more time."

Yukino shook her head. "I am happy to reunite the three of you. Family is something... that should never just disappear. And..." she trailed off, throwing a brilliant, tear-streaked smile at them, "This is hardly going to be your final meeting. We'll have to visit often, right Zippy? Kitty?"

They nuzzled their old friend, and Lucy swore she saw them smile in return.

Then they disappeared, in cascades of comforting starlight.

George stepped forward, with a fresh handkerchief. "Here you are, sir."

"Thank you, George." With that, George nodded and stepped back to allow his master a semblance of privacy. "I'll be just a moment, girls. No need to hold back on my count, though. You should go ahead and summon Corvus." He blew noisily on the cloth.

Lucy nodded. "Of course." She held out her key, uncertain of the incantation to summon Corvus. Yukino had gotten the specific incantations from Ortez for Equuleus and Dorado but... Lucy held back a sigh of frustration. She should have asked Crux when she had the chance!

Suddenly, she felt a stirring in the object held in her hand. She stared at it, the key humming with power. Was Corvus going to come on his own? It wasn't entirely unheard of... after all, Aquarius had first come to Lucy under her own strength so many years ago...

And then a flurry of dark light erupted from the key, so different from Dorado's. Surrounding them, wispy and coiling. Lucy froze at their sight, her veins pierced with ice at roiling shadows enveloping them. In her mind's eye, she saw different shadows entirely - chased with light and streaking towards her, blood on the marble, and the light dying in a friend's eyes.

Terror sealed her mouth, but her throat clenched with the need to scream and hot tears gathered in her eyes.

Then the shadows abruptly subsided, vanishing as swiftly as they had appeared.

But Lucy was no longer on the lawn of Ortez's mansion. Under her feet lay dark stone tiles, glimmering as if full of stars. Looking up, Lucy inhaled sharply, as a spinning, lavender planet swung closer. The horizon was dotted with glowing spheres of all colours and sizes, hanging suspended by forces Lucy could only guess at.

Coming back to reality, Lucy glanced around, spotting Yukino, George, and Ortez a short distance away from her. "Yukino!" Lucy called out to them. "Ortez! George!"

The men didn't respond, staring in mute, open-mouthed wonder at their surroundings.

"L-Lucy-sama," Yukino stuttered. "Where... Where are we?"

Biting her lip, Lucy hesitantly answered, "I think we're in the Celestial World."

"Yes. Though a different place than you saw on your last visit."

Lucy nearly jumped at the creaky, age-worn voice behind her. She turned, and saw an old woman kneeling behind them. Countless wrinkles lined her tanned face, though Lucy got the sense that they were not ones created from many years of happiness. Her silver hair was pulled into a bun that reminiscent of Porlyusica's - though the twists of this hairstyle seemed much more complicated. Two brilliant red and gold sticks with strings of beads hanging from their ends held the entire elegant hairstyle together in one piece.

The woman's garments took Lucy's breath away. Several layers of iridescent blue fabric shimmered as if they emitted heat, crystalline white flames patterned all across the edges of the sleeves. The sleeves themselves draped along the floor, much longer than the woman's arms, and spread out to flank her like wings.

Behind the woman stood a young man with snowy hair, that fluffed around his head. Several feathers poked out of his hair. His clothes were vastly different from the woman's, cut in a style much more familiar to Lucy though just as out of place. A belted tunic hung to his knees, dappled in soft grays and white. Grey leggings lay beneath, with supple-looking leather boots.

"I must apologize." The man bowed, and when he did, Lucy spotted huge, white wings folded neatly against his back. "I am Corvus, the White Crow." He straightened. "I was asked to bring you here, but I am very sorry for winging you away like I did." His eyes sparkled in muted mischief, and the barest hint of a smirk pulled at his otherwise polite expression.

 _'Did he just...'_ Lucy thought, a droplet of sweat running down the back of her neck. _'Was... was that a pun? Just now? Did he just pun at us? In this situation?'_ Was anything in the Celestial World _not_ a pun or allegory?

"A white crow?" Ortez mused. "I've heard of white ravens before... They're supposed to be wise if I recall correctly." This remark seemed to please the pale spirit immensely, as he shifted in place, rustling his wings and fluffing his hair out even more than it already was.

The old woman suddenly snorted. "Ravens are wise. Crows are witty." She cast a sidelong glance at the young man, who had stepped up beside her (though he was taking care to not stand on her garment's flowing sleeves). "Or so they fancy themselves."

Corvus smiled in the manner of someone whose patience has been sorely tried for too long. "Grandmother, they can't stay long, if you can recall."

She frowned at his cheek. "I suppose you're right." Then the woman turned back to the gathered group. "As my grandson said... I give you my sincerest apologies for dragging you into this world on such short notice."

Lucy scratched her cheek. "Um... thank you. But I'm curious... does the King know we're here? Last time, he made it sound like it was very unusual for humans to come to this world."

The Spirit - what else could she be? - nodded. "I received permission prior to bringing you here. Corvus was the one who actually brought you. My grandson is... many things, but some of his abilities are useful. He can bring you to this world anytime you so choose. As his contractor, you have special dispensation to do so. Though keep in mind that the normal time difference applies."

"That's really cool, Corvus!" Lucy gushed. Though she smiled, a wedge of unease settled in the back of her mind. Would she be able to handle the shadows of his ability without the same reaction she had before? "I look forward to working with you!"

A dusting of red appeared on his cheeks. "Same here."

"Like my grandson, I too am a Spirit tied to a Ghost key," the old woman continued. "My name is Phoenix."

Lucy's heart thudded in her chest at a furious pace. A Ghost key Spirit? Two in one day? Even in her fast-paced life, this was a little bit rapid for her. "Pleased to meet you, Phoenix," Lucy said, swallowing the lump of foreboding growing in her throat. Instead of disappearing, it sat, heavy in her breast.

"I realize that I am in no position to ask this of you, as you are forming a contract with Corvus, not I..." Phoenix began, weariness dripping from every word. "However... I am short on time. So I must ask this boon of you."

She placed her hands on the floor, and bowed until her forehead touched the floor. Her frail form shook. "Please," Phoenix said, her voice warbling with tears and pain. "I beg of you..."

Phoenix lifted her head from the stone tiles, water pouring from her eyes and running down her face - her wrinkles canals of saltwater.

_"Kill my summoner."_

* * *

_**Do You Think We Could Find Our Way Back Home?** _

_**-Mako "Way Back Home"** _


	3. Phoenix's Request

_**Teardrops** _   
_**Are Racing Our Stopwatch** _   
_**Our Hope Is In A Headlock** _   
_**Tomorrow Always Comes** _   
_**Too Soon** _

_**-Seven Lions "Way To Say Goodbye"** _

* * *

**Previously...**

Phoenix lifted her head from the stone tiles, water pouring from her eyes and running down her face - her wrinkles canals of saltwater.

_"Kill my summoner."_

* * *

Lucy recoiled from the spirit, her feet carrying her backwards until her back collided with Ortez, and she wobbled. Warm hands steadied her shoulders, but she barely registered the contact - her eyes fixated, unblinking, on the still bowing spirit. "K-kill?" she stuttered. Her heart hammered in her rib-cage. "You want me to... to _what?_ "

The old spirit's form shuddered with every breath she took, but she held Lucy's gaze with rock steady determination and steel behind her eyes. "I need you to kill the last person to summon me. You are the only one I can ask - there is no one else that bears the trust of the Celestial King, and the requisite power to carry the task out."

Lucy continued to stare at the spirit. She swallowed thickly, unable to string along a sentence.

Kill someone? Her? Why would a spirit ever ask this of _her_? Let alone a spirit she didn't even have a contract with.

Beside Phoemix, Corvus shifted uncomfortably as the stare-off went too long, sweat beading on his skin. It was clear he would rather be anywhere other than in the middle of this. "Um... Grandmother. Maybe you should... should explain the situation more," the crow spirit suggested. "And... um... maybe we should get some _cushions_ before my new key holder _keels over!_ " A high pitched, garbled noise of pure distress emanated from his throat. "I can't believe she pulled this right from the get go, oh stars why is this happening why are old people like this?!" he said, words tumbling out of his mouth like an unstopped spigot.

Phoenix's eyes narrowed, and her head whipped around to glare at her grandson. "Old people are what now?"

"Not meant to be sitting on the ground so long! You know, creaky joints and all." Corvus spun on his heels, striding towards a partition woven from starlight that Lucy had mistaken for another part of the scenery. "So I'll go get cushions!"

Softly, the old spirit sighed, her gaze refocusing on Lucy's petrified body. "My grandson has a point. I must apologize - that was far too abrupt, and unspeakably rude. Would you care for some tea?"

Lucy didn't move, her tongue locked away behind her tightly clenched jaw.

"Thank you for the offer," Ortez spoke in her place, the proximity of his voice startling Lucy out of her stupor. "Although I would very much enjoy the opportunity to partake of tea from the Celestial World... it seems there are more urgent matters afoot."

Withdrawing a handkerchief, Phoenix dabbed her face with the cloth. "Nonsense," she huffed. "You are guests."

Guests whom she was asking to kill someone on her behalf.

"Aside from which, I already made it," Corvus added, returning with the promised cushions. Swiftly, he positioned them, and then helped his grandmother onto one. "I'll be... right back with that. Make yourselves comfortable."

They did so, and Lucy quietly thanked Ortez. To which he merely smiled kindly, and said, "You're most welcome, my dear."

Once they were settled, and the tea sitting in steaming cups before them, Yukino was the first to break the silence. "Forgive me, Phoenix-sama. But there's something I don't quite understand. Aside from anyone wanting Lucy-sama to kill someone, I mean."

The celestial mage was grateful that Yukino felt the same as her on that part. The tension had mostly drained out of the room with Corvus's nervous rambling earlier, but it was slowly seeping back into all those present.

"Yes?"

"I was under the impression that none of the Ghost keys had been summoned for a very, very long time. So I'm not sure how Lucy even could fulfill your request."

Yukino's words brought life back to her friend. "Yeah, thanks Yukino." Lucy stared hard at the two spirits sitting before her - one calm and stern, the other flushed and fidgeting. Though he was her grandson, Corvus possessed little of Phoenix's composure at the topic of discussion. "Grandpa Crux is never wrong when it comes to the history of Celestial Spirits. He said that it had been over 75 years since Corvus was last called upon, and I trust what he told me. In which case I would have to assume that your summoner is very, very old."

Phoenix help up her sleeve to cover her mouth, but the crinkling at the corners of her eyes gave away her amusement. "Indeed. My grandson was the most recently summoned of the Ghost keys. I was last summoned... what year is it in your world, again?"

"Year X791," George offered, speaking for the first time since they'd arrived in the Celestial World. "This tea is most excellent. Might I trouble you in taking home some of the leaves?"

"Certainly. I am pleased you find it suitable to your palate."

Corvus cleared his throat, trying to nudge Phoenix back onto the prior topic.

"There is always time for pleasantries, grandson," she stated.

"This is coming from the woman who skipped them and jumped straight into ordering a hit...?" His mouth snapped shut at a pointed look from Phoenix. The second she looked away, he muttered, "I'm just saying. People normally... _work..._ their way up to that."

He was ignored.

"If the year is X791..." Phoenix said, thinking it over. "Then I suppose it must have been around four centuries since I was last in Earthland." She took a long sip of her tea.

The group collectively stared in silence for several moments.

"...Eh?" Lucy uttered, hardly processing the revelation.

Humming, Phoenix nodded. Her eyes were unfocused - her mind far away from where they sat. "Yes... a little over four centuries. Give or take a couple of decades. I was quite the spry young thing back then. Earthland was beautiful, and vast. So much to see, and Caelestis and I were determined to see it all. He... he promised me that we would." Her gaze drifted to her tea, clasped in her wrinkled, age-worn hands, riddled with spots. "Twas not to be, I'm afraid."

Something about the way she looked at herself, in the regret and sorrow in her voice, tugged at Lucy's heartstrings. "Please," she implored. "Please tell me why you want me to do this."

"It's a long, long story," Phoenix said. "And so much happened that I... I know how differently time flows between our worlds, and there isn't much time left for this to be resolved, if it can be. So please, excuse my hastiness earlier. I won't bore you with all the details, but you do deserve to know why."

Nodding, Lucy clutched her warm teacup. "Please."

"I misspoke before, when I asked you to kill him. That's not precisely what I want."

Lucy's brow furrowed in confusion. "I don't understand."

"You see... my summoner already _is_ dead. He has been for centuries." Phoenix closed her eyes in pain. "He was murdered, while I was out on an errand." Tears began to slide down her face once more. "My friend needed me there to protect him, and I was _running an errand_."

Corvus placed a hand on her shoulder. "Grandmother..."

Phoenix set the cup down, and covered his hand with one of her own. "I'm alright." She patted his hand, and let it fall to the table. Then she opened her eyes again, and stared straight through Lucy. "The issue here is _who_ murdered him. For after our contract severed, I heard from other spirits that they'd seen Caelestis. By all appearances, hale and hearty."

Lucy's stomach dropped to her toes. "I... I don't know how to say this... But are you sure the contract was broken by death? That he didn't just... end it for some reason?" She hated the idea - of cutting off a spirit without a single word of farewell, or explanation why. It went against her very grain. But there were celestial mages out there like that. Angel and Karen had proven just how brutal celestial mages could be.

But Phoenix shook her head. "Caelestis's student, Skaldra, found blood. Too much of it for him to have survived. No... my summoner was murdered, and his body was taken away. Skaldra never stopped searching for Caelestis, and one day... he found him. Or... what remained of him." Phoenix's gaze had hardened, a cold fire in her eyes. "It seems my summoner was murdered by a necromancer." She continued on, unheedful of her audience's shock, and her tone detached - as if she were recalling a fact from a textbook, instead of recounting the defilement of her friend. "Even dead, Caelestis was too strong for his student to handle. So Skaldra fled. I couldn't even bring myself to blame the boy. He idolized Caelestis. Later, Skaldra died as well, and I lost my last link to what happened to Caelestis. I've kept my ear to the ground, however. And from what I've been able to piece together, it seems as if he's still walking around now, long past the inevitable death of the necromancer that raised him up."

"So..." Lucy choked on her words. "So when you asked me to kill your summoner..."

"I meant, 'kill him _again_ ,'" Phoenix finished softly. "Please... I just wish for him to rest in peace. Even if nothing of him remains still inside that corpse. I just want him to be laid to rest, at long last. It's my only wish in this world."

Dumbfounded by the weight of the request, Lucy couldn't help the sympathetic tears that filled her eyes. "That's so not fair," she whispered. "That's so not fair that... that happened to you. To him." She sniffed, and set her jaw in determination. "I will do it," she stated, her voice stronger from the strength of her conviction. "I will lay Caelestis to rest, and give both of you the peace you deserve."

Reaching out to her, the ancient spirit clasped Lucy's hands in hers. "Thank you. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart."

Preoccupied, neither of the pair caught Corvus's perturbed stare, deep worry etched into every line of his body.

* * *

_**And I'll Hold Onto** _   
_**Every Piece Of You** _   
_**That I Made Up In My Mind** _   
_**Until I Find** _   
_**A Way To Say Goodbye** _

_**-Seven Lions "Way To Say Goodbye"** _


	4. Corvus's Request

**_I Know You've Been Kicked Around_**  
**_Searching For Some Solid Ground_**  
**_They Up And Left So Out Of The Blue_**  
**_But I Will Stay With You_**

**_-tyDi feat. Dia Frampton "Stay"_ **

* * *

 

They didn't tarry much longer with Phoenix, the knowledge of time's increased passing in their world too great a weight to keep them in the Celestial one. The elderly spirit wished them luck, and then promised to do all she could from her side before sending them on their way with Corvus.

The second time around with Corvus's ability was a little easier on Lucy's nerves, as she knew what was coming and was able to squeeze her eyes closed in time. Only when she felt the grassy lawn beneath her feet did she open her eyes again – to find herself only a handspan away from Corvus's tanned face. The waning sunlight dyed his brilliant hair in shades of orange and purple.

He gave her a lopsided smile, apology clear in his eyes. "It gets better with time," the spirit consoled her, his words heavy with meaning. "Or so I'm told."

Lucy peered at him, uncomprehending, for a long moment. It didn't… it didn't feel like he was talking about his odd mode of transport. Or at least, not entirely. Could he be referring to…? No, she decided. He probably wasn't. Looking too far into things was certain to give Lucy a headache, so she chose to just accept his words at face value. "Thank you, Corvus."

The spirit stepped back from her, and then turned his gaze towards the others standing on the lawn. "I hope there was less turbulence this time?"

"Surprisingly comfortable way to travel. Provided one is expecting it, that is." Ortez winked at the spirit, who grinned back.

Corvus's wings drooped, the long feathers brushing the grass, though the smile remained on his face. "Again, I'm really sorry about that. Grandmother is terrifying when she wants something from you and wants it immediately."

"Most women are," agreed Ortez.

George let out a sigh at his employer's statement. With a shake of his head, he turned to Yukino and Lucy. "It seems to be quite late. I will prepare two guestrooms for you to stay the night." When Lucy opened her mouth to protest, he shook his head. "No, we won't send the both of you off in the dark. It is a fair journey to the main town and the horses have likely been bedded down for the night already, so a carriage is out of the question."

"You should just accept what George says," Ortez informed them with a wink. "It's easier than arguing with him. I should know. So please, stay the night. It should give you time to process all of…" He gestured to Corvus, who flushed. "All of this. Maybe a plan of attack will present itself to you by the morning, and you can go from there. Really, it's no trouble to put you up for the night."

Yukino shared a look with Lucy, and then hesitantly spoke. "I am… pretty exhausted from today. What about you, Lucy?"

"Yeah," her fellow celestial mage acknowledged. "It's definitely been a long day." Then she remembered something, and glanced at Corvus, who was waiting patiently to be addressed. "Can you teach me your incantation? I can summon you in the morning, and we can go over the terms of your contract."

It seemed to her as if he hesitated for an instant, but he nodded with his smile still perfectly intact. "Of course. Whatever works best for you."

Lucy shook her head lightly at him. "No, no… I don't want to impede on your life outside of this. If now is better for you, we can work it out right now. I don't mind accommodating you."

The spirit looked startled by her words. "T-thanks." He shifted in place. "Sorry, this is my first real contract, so I'm a little nervous. The last time I was summoned, I was only in Earthland briefly, and I was never able to make a contract with my key holder at the time. Not sure why, but I was never called upon again after that. So that's… uh… why I'm a bit eager to get it out of the way quickly this time."

"That makes sense to me," Lucy replied. "And I'm sorry that happened to you. Let's get that contract taken care of right away." She glanced around, scanning the grass in the rapidly diminishing light.

Suddenly, the area was flooded with golden light, and Lucy startled a bit. Looking up, she saw Dorado floating nearby, its key in Yukino's hand. "Thanks, Yukino," she said, bending down and picking up the small notebook she'd dropped when Corvus had spirited them away.

"We'll give you some privacy for this," Ortez offered, surprising Lucy a little. "Much as I'd love to observe, I must admit that I'm a bit exhausted from our little trip. Aside from which, George will need to ready your rooms and dinner, and I want to get a head start on my research into the Ghost Keys. Come back in whenever you're done."

Lucy smiled at the two men. "Alright. I'll see you later."

Although Yukino remained behind, she retreated to a polite distance, so that Lucy wouldn't lose Dorado's light.

The blonde sent her a grateful look. Flipping to a blank page and readying the pen that had been attached to the notebook, she then gazed expectantly at Corvus. "What days of the week work best for you?"

"Everything except… Sundays," Corvus stated. "Have to occasionally run errands in the Celestial World for Grandmother, and I'll try to confine them to that time period."

She scribbled it down. "Got it. Do you have any hourly restrictions?"

"No, none that I can think of. Wait, actually," Corvus amended, deep in thought. "Can we change this contract later if something unforeseen comes up?"

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, sure. Contracts can be amended at any time with the consent of both parties – celestial  _or_  business. Just let me know if we ever need to revisit the terms, alright?"

Relief spread across Corvus's face. "Thank you. With Grandmother at the end of her life, I won't be able to predict when she'll take a turn for the worse."

Memories of her mother swept through Lucy, Corvus's situation drawing them to the forefront of her mind, and empathy for the spirit swelled inside her heart. "You love her a lot, don't you? I'm sure she appreciates you looking after her."

"I do," he admitted, without a trace of embarrassment. "And I think she does, even if she doesn't actually say so very often."

A giggle burst forth from Lucy. "She does seem a little bit…"

"Cold?" Corvus finished, and then let out a short laugh of his own. "She comes across like that when she doesn't know someone well enough, but I assure you that she's a very warm person once she opens up. She's just…" His smile fell, suddenly, his eyes no longer completely focused on Lucy. "She's just… cautious."

Awkwardness settled over them, Lucy unsure of how to respond to that. After a few seconds, she coughed and changed topics. "I think we got a little off track there. So was there anything else you wanted to discuss about your contract?"

"Ah… yes, there was one other thing." Corvus cleared his throat. "I was wondering how often you would be summoning me?" Before Lucy had a chance to respond, he hastily added, "It's not what you think! I would… actually prefer being summoned as often as possible, even for no reason at all."

The request puzzled Lucy for half a second, and then understanding dawned on her. "Because you haven't been summoned much before?"

"Exactly!" The spirit's entire countenance suddenly brightened with his excitement, a grin spreading across his face. "I've never gotten the chance to see much of Earthland before, and I really want to now that I have the opportunity! The stories from the other spirits just… aren't enough, you know?" He swept his arms around him, his wings flaring out. "There's nothing like this in all of the Celestial World!"

His enthusiasm was infectious, lifting away the earlier tension completely. In Corvus, Lucy felt like she was looking at her own reflection; pining for a world long since denied to her, and the exaltation that came with finally finding it within her grasp. And this was the first time one of her spirits had asked her to summon them more often, rather than less. It would feel wrong to deny him this. Besides, she was growing to like the white crow quite a bit. She would enjoy his company and his counsel in the undertaking she was about to plunge headlong into.

"Sure thing, Corvus," she told him with a wide smile of her own. Then she stuck out her hand, the spirit taking it readily. "Welcome aboard. I think we're going to have a lot of fun."

"Likewise." He let go and stepped back. "I should let you go for now. It's getting dark out. Call me again soon!" With a cheery wave, he disappeared not in a wave of shadows, but in the familiar cascading golden shimmer that Lucy loved.

As soon as the spirit vanished, Yukino approached Lucy. "Are you ready to head back?"

Lucy nodded. "Yeah. I'm starving, how about you?"

"Yes, I am as well."

They walked across the ridiculously large lawn in silence for a minute. Dorado swam in the air beside them, the soft glow emanating from its scales wavering upon the grass as if they were walking underwater.

It was Yukino who eventually broke the comfortable quiet between them. "So... it's been quite a day, hasn't it?"

Lucy hummed her agreement. "Sure has. First it was our job fighting the bandits, and then we got spirited away by a new Celestial Spirit. And now there's this whole thing about finding a missing celestial wizard. I think even the hardest taskmasters would be willing to give us a break after all that."

The sentiment brought a smile to Yukino's lips, though privately she couldn't help but disagree. She didn't hold it against Lucy, however – she had never had Jiemma for a guild master, after all. "Have you given any thought as to where we should start looking for Phoenix's old key holder?"

"We?" questioned Lucy, glancing sidelong at her friend and unable to keep the trace of humor from her voice.

Yukino huffed in mock indignation. "Yes, we. Did you think I wouldn't want to help you?"

Giggling, Lucy shook her head, glad that the darkening sky hid her rising blush from her friend. "No, I'm really happy that you want to. Seriously, having more than one person on this will make it much, much easier."

"I think Ortez has already begun, actually," Yukino commented, sweat running down her neck. "He's… a very lively person, isn't he?"

"That's… one of putting it…"

Reaching the door to the mansion, Yukino sent Dorado home with a fond goodbye and profuse thanks for lighting their way. Lucy, too, raised a hand in farewell as the spirit vanished. If she didn't know better, she would have thought the spirit had a smile on its face. But that was a little absurd. Dorado had a fish's face, after all.

* * *

 

Dinner was a light affair, as the group's stomachs were still relatively full from their lunch. Time had passed at a faster rate in Earthland, but their digestive systems had been on Celestial World time. Still, Lucy had to admit that the meal was delicious, small as it was. Simple sandwiches had never tasted quite so wonderful to her before.

Conversation during the meal was kept to a minimum, Ortez's nose already deep in a book as he ate – fully absorbed in his own little world. George had offered an apology for his employer's behavior, but Lucy and Yukino waved it off. They were exhausted from the day, and more than happy to spare the energy making conversation entailed.

George seemed mildly miffed by their response.

After they were full, George showed them to their rooms, which were right next to each other. "The bathrooms should have fresh towels," he explained, pushing open the door to one of the rooms. "Feel free to make use of the facilities. I have laid out a change of clothes for the both of you, though I fear that they are rather large. We do not have many female guests, I'm afraid. If you leave your dirty laundry outside your door, I will have it clean and ready for you in the morning."

Lucy grinned at the sight of the room before her. It reminded her a lot of her bedroom at the Heartfilia Mansion. Although the memories of the place still brought her distress at times, she was finally starting to move past the unpleasant parts of her childhood at the mansion. And the nostalgia she felt looking at such an opulently furnished room was a good feeling, rather than a painful one.

"Thank you, George," she told the aging butler. "This is very kind. You really didn't have to go through all this effort." Especially to the extent of providing a change of clothes.

Again, he seemed miffed by the implication that he'd do anything less for a guest. "You are most welcome," he responded diplomatically, though Lucy could see that it pained him a little. "If you will excuse me."

As he walked away, Yukino repressed a giggle, and turned towards Lucy with a large smile upon her face. "He and Ortez make an interesting pair."

Her comment brought out a smile in Lucy as well. "They do. I think I like them a lot." About to say more, Lucy was interrupted by a great yawn that overtook her. "Mmm…" she grumbled. "I'm gonna sleep on this whole thing. Need to process it properly before I can come up with a plan of attack, you know?"

Yukino nodded, feeling the events of the day wearing on her as well. "Sounds good to me. I'll see you in the morning, Lucy."

* * *

 

**_I Know They Turned Their Back On You_**  
**_But I Will See This Through_**

**_-tyDi feat. Dia Frampton "Stay"_ **


	5. Promises Made

_**I'll Be The Soles Of Your Shoes On The Ground** _   
_**Running With You 'Til You're Safe And You're Sound** _

_**-Krewella "Be There"** _

* * *

The sight of a celestial spirit literally plastered to the window of a train, hands and face squashed against the glass in an attempt to view the scenery more clearly, was certainly a unique experience. It was the sort of reaction that Lucy expected more from children than from a being over six times her age. She almost found it endearing, if not for the fact that Corvus's wings took up most of the train booth and Lucy had to keep spitting out pale feathers that kept falling into her mouth whenever she tried to speak. Out in the wide open lawn at Ortez's mansion Lucy hadn't fully appreciated just how massive Corvus's wings truly were, but now she was fully feeling the impact of their sheer size.

Seated beside her, further away from the devastation of Corvus's wingspan, Yukino delicately covered her mouth to smother her laughter over Lucy's indignant expression.

"This is  _amazing_ ," Corvus breathed out in wonder, his eyes glittering. "I never thought that humans would have transportation as fast as this at their disposal! Makes my abilities seem a bit superfluous, to be honest."

"At least your abilities are…  _pbbbt_ … free." Sort of. Lucy  _had_  bought Corvus his own train ticket, since the more humanoid spirits had to have their own (the debacle that had ensued when Loke tried to ride with her and her team once did not bear repeating). Then Corvus gotten stuck in the turnstile, and in the train doors as they were loading, and she'd felt mildly bad. But still… if the spirit was going to experience all the world had to offer, then he would have to experience the inconveniences as well. She was feeling slightly less guilty now that she had a wad of feathers in her face, though.

He was… certainly attracting a lot of attention, though. Which was to be expected given his wings. It still made Lucy mildly nervous, feeling the weight of a great many stares directed towards their little group.

"I take it this is your first train ride," Yukino offered, trying not to meet Lucy's gaze and her silent pleas for salvation.

"Yes," the spirit affirmed, twisting to look at Yukino. This had fortunate side effect of moving his wings away from Lucy enough for her to breathe properly again. "How long have humans had these at their disposal?"

Yukino thought about it for a moment. "I believe the vast majority of the tracks were added within the last century or so, but I think trains have existed for the past two. Lucy would know more than I on the topic, however, as I believe her family's business revolved around them."

Nodding, Lucy drew in deep breaths of fresh air, devoid of feathers. "I'm surprised you knew about that, Yukino. But yeah, you're right. It's hard to lay down tracks in magical wilderness, but the trains do go to the more populated areas of Fiore at least." She gestured to the bench across from them. "Would you like to sit down? It'll be easier to talk to you like that."

Corvus flushed as he realized how much of the cramped space he was occupying. He drew his wings in tight to his body, and sat down. He wiggled in place for a few moments, trying to get comfortable, but the train wasn't exactly made for people with wings, so he soon gave up. When he was ready, he gazed expectantly at Lucy. "So were you able to come up with a plan?" Corvus asked. "I mean, for dealing with… with the rogue celestial mage."

Lucy sighed in response and hung her head. "Not really." That morning hadn't been as exceptionally productive like she'd hoped it would be. Ortez had been stricken with a flare-up of his gout, or so George explained to them. They had been able to wish the older man a farewell, but he had been in no real condition to speak with them at length. "Ortez promised us he'd look into his resources and write us if he found something interesting. But other than that, we don't really have a clue where to start looking. We were kind of hoping you might have some more information from Phoenix, truth be told."

The spirit nodded. "I haven't been able to speak with Grandmother long since I last saw you, but she was able to tell me where it was when her summoner…" His eyes flickered away for a second. "Where he first died. It was four hundred years ago, though, so I don't know how helpful that information will be."

"It's more than what we've got at the moment," Lucy stated. "I'm grateful for any help you have to offer, Corvus."

"Then show me a current map," he said with a bashful grin. "And I'll show you about where it was on Grandmother's older one."

Luckily, George had thought to provide them with a number of documents he and Ortez had thought would be essential to Lucy and Yukino in their quest before they left, along with lunches that George had prepared that morning for them and insisted that they take (including one for Corvus, interestingly enough. It was like he  _knew_  that Lucy would summon him for the train ride). Amongst the articles provided for their use was a current topographical map of Ishgar, and a smaller map of the same for Fiore. Lucy took out the Ishgar one, carefully unrolling it across her and Yukino's laps.

Corvus leaned forward, taking in the details of the map and frowning hard in concentration. "There are a lot fewer countries than four hundred years ago," he observed.

"I imagine that a great number of them were conquered or fell to internal strife, and were then absorbed into the present day ones," Lucy informed him, gazing over the map as well. Fiore was such a small part of the continent as a whole, and yet the country still felt so large to her. It was amazing how much of the world she hadn't yet seen.

Scratching his head, Corvus continued to look over the map, mentally matching it up with his Grandmother's descriptions and the map he'd seen. "I think maybe… around here?" he questioned, tapping a section of the map. "I think there used to be a forest there, though."

Lucy stared at the indicated spot, her mouth drawn in a firm line. The spirit's finger was placed directly in the center of a lake. A lake in Seven, no less. Well, at least it wasn't all the way in Sin, Lucy thought to herself.

"I've been to that area for a job before. I think they dammed that river around three hundred years ago," Yukino offered to Lucy's surprise. The white-haired woman flushed under Lucy's intense stare. "T-there was a lot of local information about it. Legends, and such. It was a very nice place, from what I remember, though a lot of the legends are…"

"Not so good?" Lucy supplied for her.

Yukino nodded hesitantly.

"Of course," the blonde muttered under her breath. "But I guess that just makes it more likely that the remains of the original forest are now underneath the lake." Well, that was certain to make things difficult. The location being in another country was a challenge enough, and now they had to deal with a sunken forest. But if the simple reason the corpse wasn't locatable was because it was under hundreds of tons of water, she would take that over the alternatives.

She looked down at the map, biting her lip. "Is there any way Pisces could help you search the lake?" she asked Yukino.

"I could ask them," Yukino said with doubtful edge in her voice, "but if we found anything, I don't think they could help much. They don't… have hands, after all. Libra can use her gravity manipulation to lift water, but an entire lake's worth might be pushing it. And Ophiuchus refused to enter the lake when I was last there. I don't know if she doesn't like water, or just that particular lake, but she probably wouldn't be very helpful either way since she also does not have hands."

"Then we're going to have to enlist some help to search the area," Lucy said with a heavy sigh. "It's as good a place to start as any, though. I know someone that has abilities that would be useful for exploring underwater."

She really, really didn't want to have to ask Juvia for her help, though. Much as she liked the water mage and considered her a good friend, she was sometimes a little hard to deal with. Not to mention how would she convince the water mage to travel with her all the way to Seven? That was a three day train ride. Minimum. And there was the border crossing to contend with on top of that.

Lucy also did not much like the sound of there being legends that spoke ill of the place, either.

"If you have a good method of searching the lake, I'll leave it to you, Lucy," Yukino told her. "I can search the guild archives to see what I can find out about lost keys in the meantime. Maybe Rufus has read some old texts that I can pick his brain about as well."

Shaking off her lingering misgivings, Lucy hummed and then nodded along to Yukino's offer. "That would be a big help, Yukino."

"Lost keys?" Corvus inquired, glancing between the two women.

A smile spread across Lucy's face. It was something that she and Yukino had decided upon while they walked to the train station, prior to summoning Corvus. The situation in which they found themselves was an odd one, and it touched upon some personal wounds for the both of them. Concluding what they had was – under those conditions – somewhat inevitable.

"We're going to find your grandmother's key," Lucy told him. Her heart swelled as his eyes widened. "The… ah… official reason is that it might be easier to track than a roving corpse but… We don't just want to put Phoenix's summoner to rest. We're going to give her the opportunity to say goodbye, at long last. …She deserves to have that opportunity."

After all, not being able to was an agony that Lucy and Yukino both knew all too well.

Rendered mute by the strength of his emotions, Corvus could only nod, a wobbly smile spreading across his face.

* * *

The train pulled into Magnolia station, and Lucy stood up to leave, stretching her muscles. She had been alone for the last leg of the journey; Corvus having departed to impart the good news to his grandmother, and Yukino's stop having been before Lucy's along the line. She grabbed her luggage and waited for her opportunity to exit the train. The crowded platform beyond the doors wavered almost like a mirage through the press of people ahead of the blonde.

Though it was tempting to just lie down and sleep after everything that had happened, Lucy knew she needed to go to the guild after she dropped off her luggage at her apartment. If nothing else, she needed to reassure her teammates that she wasn't dead in a ditch somewhere before they busted into her apartment to determine it for themselves.

It was then that she spotted two very familiar heads in clashing pink and red in the crowd on the platform.

Scratch that, they'd gone straight to the train station and were planning on dragging her home.

With a laugh, Lucy stepped out onto the platform and towards her team. "Hey, guys!" she called out to them. "I'm back!"

"Lucy!" Natsu and Happy shouted gleefully, turning to face their teammate with broad grins. "Welcome back!"

"We were worried about you," Erza huffed beside the dragon slayer, though a smile of her own played at her lips. "You should have sent word ahead that you were going to be an extra day."

"I told you she would be fine, but neither of you would listen." Gray, blending in more effectively with the crowd when in possession of all of his clothes, had previously managed to escape Lucy's notice. He rolled his eyes at Erza. "It's not like Lucy's incapable of taking care of herself."

She nodded along vigorously to Gray's words. "Exactly! I was perfectly fine. Yukino and my spirits had my back all the way!"

"And yet you came along anyway," Happy pointed out to Gray, who flushed furiously.

"Shut it, Furball," the ice wizard warned the blue cat. "Who asked you?"

Crouching down so that he was level with Happy, Natsu loudly whispered, "Methinks he protests too much."

"Uh huh." Happy nodded along, his furry arms crossed across his chest. "I have to agree with you there, Natsu."

Before the banter could escalate to a full out brawl on the train platform, Lucy intervened. "Thanks for coming to meet me here anyway," she told them. "I'm really glad to see all of you!"

"We should celebrate your safe return!" Erza suddenly declared, a gleam of ambition in her gaze that Lucy really did not like the look of.

Gray and Natsu exchanged grins. "Awesome!" they said in unison.

"Wait... wait a second…" Lucy held up a hand, trying to forestall whatever was brewing right in front of her. "I just came back from a job, that's all! No need to make a big deal out of – "

Ignoring Lucy's protest, Erza commanded, "Boys, carry Lucy's things to her apartment, and then meet us at the guild."

"Why do we gotta…?" whined Natsu. His complaint abruptly cut off as Erza leveled a sharp glare at him. "Aye, sir! Right away!" he squeaked, practically ripping Lucy's arms out of their sockets in his rush to relieve his teammate of her baggage.

Gray protested as Natsu took off without him. "Hey, wait for me!" Soon he, too, had vanished from Lucy's sight, Happy trailing along behind him.

Now that they were alone, Erza wrapped an arm around Lucy's shoulders and began to steer her towards the guild. "Now tell me everything about the job, Lucy. Spare no detail!"

Hanging her head, Lucy resolved herself to the inevitable, and began to regale Erza with the tale of everything that had happened to her within the admittedly tumultuous past twenty-four hours. Well, everything right up until the end of the job, that is. She just… wasn't sure how to address what happened next.

Sensing that there was something that Lucy was withholding, Erza peered at her teammate, her brow slightly furrowed and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "So you finished the job up yesterday?" Lucy nodded slowly. "I take it something happened to prevent your immediate return."

Lucy let out a nervous laugh. The full force of Erza's scrutiny was a terror by itself, but it paled in comparison to the enormity of the task Lucy had agreed to undertake. The brunt of it was finally hitting her, churning in her stomach like an angry viper. She would have to tell her teammates everything, of course. There was no question about that. And they were sure to help her in any way they could.

But that was partly what was making her feel so nauseous. There was a real chance that her friends could be hurt in this. It was a  _zombie_  she was pursuing, after all. More than that, though, she feared wasting their time if it amounted to no more than a goose chase.

"Lucy?" Erza questioned, when the silence went on too long. Her voice and eyes had turned softer with concern. She stopped in the middle of the street, bringing Lucy to a halt as well. "Is something wrong?"

Sighing, Lucy shook her head. "No, it's just a little complicated." Unconsciously, her hand moved to her keyring, where she lightly dragged her fingers along the comforting metal surfaces. "I'd rather explain it to everyone at once though, if that's okay."

Erza smiled kindly at her. "Sure thing. I'll wait for Gray and Natsu."

Hesitating for a moment, Lucy then launched herself into Erza's body, her arms wrapping around her friend and clinging for dear life. Phoenix's face, coated with the ancient spirit's tears of regret and sorrow, swam before her mind's eye. She never wanted to see something like that again; Lucy did not want to experience the same despair that Phoenix must have felt in losing her dear friend. "Thank you, Erza," Lucy said, her voice emerging thick and choppy from her throat. "For always being there for me. I really love you guys, you know?"

Confused and still concerned, but also pleased by the sudden contact and words of affection, Erza wrapped her arms around Lucy in return. "We'll always be here for you, Lucy. We love you, too. And we're never going anywhere without you. I promise."

* * *

_**When Life Hits You Hard Like A Train Wreck** _   
_**Don't You Believe It'll Break Ya** _

_**-Krewella "Be There"** _


End file.
